ANVESHA

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Conversations With God 7

Devotee– Pranams Swami. Been waiting for your call.

Swami - Yes I know. You don’t want
to learn anything, just sit with me, for it gives you a pleasant feeling.

D –No Swami, it gives me an
elevating feeling. In the elevated Presence all learning becomes easy and
clear.

S – Therefore you must create
within you an elevating situation in which you can learn your lessons fast, and
gradually ready yourself for the ultimate experience. That is called
spiritualizing life. My purpose of giving you this special time while thousands
of devotees are waiting outside is to help you and the boys to do just this,
spiritualise life, their lives, and in turn life in society.

D – Swami, this appears to be a
tremendous gift of Grace you are giving us with a tremendous amount of
responsibility.

S – Yes, Grace comes to you by
God’s will, but to retain it is your responsibility. So don’t waste precious
time in frivolous pursuits, in unbecoming doubts; start restructuring your
lives to carry out your responsibilities.

D – How can we preserve this
grace Swami?

S – Discipline your lives.
Discipline is the twin brother of devotion. When you have these two you will
know what is your duty, your dharma, and live for it. Devotion is not blind. It
helps you to make right choices in life.

S - And do nothing? You will sit
at one place, and sing Ram nam, and Ram will bring you food, make your bed,
clean your house and your clothes, and stand guard at the door when you sleep!
Is that devotion?

D – No swami, not that. How can
that be devotion…. O, I am really confused.

S – Tell me who do you think is a
great devotee.

D – Swami, Hanuman.

S – Good. Did he simply sit in a
cave, and chant Ram…Ram…Ram..?

D – No Swami, he did so much for
Lord Rama.

S – Why didn’t he simply sit at
one place and sing Ram bhajans?

D – I think he wanted to express
his devotion through Ramaseva. Swami, now I remember you said in one of your
discourses what Hanuman told Bibhishana. When Bibhishana complained to him that
he was chanting Ramanama for years, but Rama had not given His darshan to him,
Hanuman told him that he was chanting Ram’s name alright, but not doing Rama’s
work. He must express his love for Rama through right action. Mother Sita was
imprisoned in Lanka, and he had not even informed Rama about it!

S – Yes, devotion purifies
action. Without pure action devotion is ineffective. Now you understand why I
need an army? I have no enemy, but I need an army to do my work, which is
establishing dharma-living in the world. That is the way you can preserve my
grace, doing my work.

D – Now I understand Swami.

S – My apparently getting angry
with you is my way of preparing you for my work. When a mother gets angry, it
means that she wants to discipline you, wants you to obey her without question,
however unpleasant it may be. If you want to be my soldier, you cannot question
my decision, or my intention.

D – Swami, how shall we mix
discipline with devotion?

S – It is not mixing two
opposites, it is recognizing one as the other’s face. When Tyagaraja was
requested by the king to be his court poet, Tyagaraja asked himself, ‘O mind,
is nidhi (wealth) better than sannidhi (proximity to God)?’ He
spontaneously chose sannidhi. Wealth had no attraction for him in the
face of devotion, and he did not arrive at this choice after disciplining his
mind. It was just another face of devotion.

D –So you want to say, swami, devotion
and discipline are complementary to each other?

S – Yes, you understood rightly.

D –But Swami, everybody cannot be Tyagaraja. So what
about ordinarypeople? We love you, but
find it difficult to follow the discipline you

impose. Why is it so?

S – Because you really don’t love
me. If you love me, you will love all that I love.

D – Yes Swami, that is true.

S – Take an example. Before a
girl is married into a family, she did not know them. But from the next day of
her marriage she begins to look upon her husband’s family as her family. Her
husband’s mother becomes her mother, his father her father, his brother her
brother, and if anyone of them falls sick she feels sorry. All this happens
because she loves her husband. She cannot tell her husband, as now wives are
saying, they are your family, not mine. I have nothing to do with them.
Similarly, if you claim you love me, you cannot say, ‘Swami, I love you, but I
cannot follow all this discipline which you impose on me’, can you?

D – No Swami, I must love to
follow all that.

S –When you see discipline as
another face of devotion, it will have great impact on your personal and social
life too.

D – Swami, devotion is a very
personal thing. How can it affect our social life?

S –If you have devotion, can you
indulge in hurting others, being cruel to anybody? In vengeful action? Can you
distribute favour at a price? Can you buy and sell morals?

D – No Swami, apparently not.

S – You will have daiva preeti
and papa bheeti; and society can be rid of the most dangerous virus,
dishonesty in private and public life. This will happen, of course, if you see
discipline as a face of devotion.

D – But Swami, nowadays people
don’t have love for God.

S – That is not true. Why do you
think hundreds of thousands of people gather here, in Prasanthinilayam? What do
I give them? How many people I talk to? Still they go back to change their
lives. Everyone loves God, everyone wants to be happy, to be safe, to succeed
in life, to live in peace, don’t they? That is the face of devotion too. Only
they don’t know, or afraid to accept, that the happiness, prosperity, success
and peace they want is available when they are ready to discipline their lives.

D – Swami, this is such a
wonderful idea! Why don’t people understand this?

S – Did you understand it? You
only said you love me, but find it difficult to follow the discipline I impose!

D – Sorry Swami, I really said
so. But when you explain anything it is so clear, and easy to understand.
Swami, I have another question.

S – Ask.

D –You have been referring to discipline
so often. What exactly is this discipline? Wearing white, not eating non
veg, getting up in the morning, coming to college in a line etc, is this
discipline?

S – All this is discipline as
much as a shining silver plate without any food in it is a sumptuous dinner.

D – What! How can an empty plate
be a sumptuous dinner?

S – Similarly, what you wear,
what you eat, how you walk, how you speak can be symptoms of discipline, like
the plate that hold the food, but real discipline in inside you. It is in your
thoughts, in your beliefs, in your way of life. Discipline is dharma-living, in
unity of thought, word and deed. It is compassion, it is truthfulness, it is
purity of action, it is seeing God in all.

D – Swami, this sounds very
interesting, but very difficult to follow.

S – Do you participate in the
Sports and Cultural festival we celebrate every year?

D – Yes swami.

S - What did you do last year?

D – I was in the bike stunt.

S – You just took your bike,
drove into the stadium, and started performing?

D – No Swami, what do
you say! We had to practise it 8 to 10 hours every day

for more than two weeks.

S – Why did you undertake such a
difficult task?

D – Swami, we want to please you
by our action. The thought of your smiling at us, and saying well-done makes it
easy for us.

S – Similarly, any work can be
difficult if it is done without love. If you love to live a great life, a life
of spiritual fulfillment, you will not take any work as difficult. I have told
boys on many occasions there are three ways you can approach you life’s work:
one without love, second with love, and third love without work.

D – Yes swami, I heard that,
can’t say I understood it properly.

S – Take the first, with a little
change, discipline without love. Since you are forcing to discipline yourself,
you will drop it at the slightest pretext. Therefore, when you go home during
holidays, some of you take it as a big relief. Second, discipline with love. As
long as you love me, you will follow all discipline willingly. But if I don’t
respond to you the way you want, you get angry with me, and rebel against all
codes of discipline you followed so long. But if you really love me, truly love
me, all discipline will come naturally to you.

D – Yes Swami, that is true. You
are the greatest teacher on earth, You can make us understand even the toughest
idea easily.

S – Even the greatest teacher can
do nothing to an unwilling student.

D – Swami, one more question.

S – That’s enough for today. Next
week you can ask your question. In the meantime keep contemplating on what I
said today.

D – Thank you Swami.

------------------------------------

Monday, July 24, 2017

KING EAGLE

King Eagle was expecting a crown prince.

He is now
old, and needs a son to accept his responsibility. Their earlier children were
either very weak, or could not survive their childhood. This time they had
prayed to God Vayu to give them a crown prince to continue the legacy. King
Eagle is almost sure God Vayu would grant his wish.

When the
prince was born, there was great rejoicing around their tree palace. Birds of
all species, dear to King Eagle were invited to see the new baby breaking the
shell and shrieking into the light of a new life. The little thing decided to
take revenge on the flimsy walls which imprisoned him for long, and with a
powerful peck of his well formed beak destroyed the shell to leap from darkness
to light. He was a beautiful specimen of the King of Air, and almost
immediately made his presence felt. King Eagle knew God Vayu had given him not
only an heir, but someone who would set new standards of royalty. The Queen
mother fed him with carefully picked dishes. Looking at his appetite she was
satisfied that at last she had succeeded in perpetuating the king’s dynasty.
The invitees had some repast, and returned both satisfied, and scared.
Satisfied that King Eagle would not fault them, and scared that this boy was
going to exercise his authority ruthlessly.

And the
little heir, who was named Akash, grew up fast as if by magic. King Eagle knew
his hold on his long life was getting weaker by day, and the little Akash knew
he must tighten his hold on life. Around him lay a huge world, for that was
what his father, King Eagle, told him, and above an immense sky, his namesake.
He had to conquer both, he had to prove what the father did the son could do
better. But King Eagle knew Akash had to go a long way to realise his dreams. King
Eagle remembered his own childhood with his father. His father doted on him,
but during learning times he was a block of stone. That paid him good dividends
in the long run. He would make his son too go through the same hard school.

It was a bright
day, gentle and quiet. Both father and son were sitting on the top branch of
their home tree. King Eagle was silent, looking at the horizon, as if he knew
what lay there across the wall of invisibility. Akash wanted to ask him many
questions, but he respected father’s silence. Though he loved his father
immensely, he was always awed by his presence. But when he sat with his father
Akash always felt there was nothing he could not achieve, nowhere he could not
go, no impediment he could not shatter. When his father sat like that on top of
a branch, or a tall rock, Akash would keep looking at him, his strong legs, powerful
wings, penetrating eyes, the golden beak reaching out from a shapely and
muscular neck which appeared as if it can shift a snow-clad peak. He would be
overwhelmed by his father’s personality, and knew no other growing child had a
father like his. He would always thank God Vayu for giving him such a wonderful
father, for his mother had told him that God Vayu was their family Deity, and
the Lord of earth and sky.

Suddenly King
Eagle turned, looked at his son, and smiled. A wave of great warmth filled the
adoring son’s heart. He came closer to him, and said,“Dad”…

“Yes, my son…”

“I wanted to ask you some questions”.

“Yes, go on, son…”

“Dad, you are the king of earth and
sky?”

“God Vayu is, I am only asked by him
to look after his kingdom. So shall you do after me.”

“After you means you are going
somewhere?”

“I have to leave when God Vayu
relieves me from my charge.”

“And go where?”

“Wherever God Vayu takes me. You
don’t worry about all that. Now your work is to grow

up fast and prepare to take up my
responsibility.”

Akash thought for some time, and asked,

“But Dad, if you are not around who
would look after me?”

“I cannot always be with you to look
after you. You must learn to look after yourself, and

this kingdom too. You are the crown
prince, after me you shall be crowned king, and

then you have to do what I have
been doing all these years.”

“What have you been doing all these
years, dad?”

“Keeping the earth and sky safe for all the
birds.”

It was a new
revelation for Akash. So his father has been a protector for all the birds
flying around their home. His heart was filled with pride. But he felt that
pride is a heavy thing to carry. He almost felt the heaviness on his shoulders.

“Dad….”

“Yes my son?”

“Surely it was not easy to carry
such a load for so many years?”

“Well, I never asked for a lighter
weight. I knew it was my duty to look after

my subjects,and when you love them, there is
no weight in love.”

“Dad, I don’t think I understood
that properly.”

“You will, when you accept the
responsibility.”

“But I want you to be always with
me.”

“You are my son. So I will always
be in your heart guiding you.”

“But why can’t you be with me like
this, talking to me?”

“The rule of God Vayu is that every father
must give his responsibility to his son when

the son grows up so that he could
be as big as his father.”

“So you are saying that in order
that I must be as big as you, you must leave me?”

King Eagle
smiled at the cleverness and loyalty of his son.

“It is not like that my son. We
have to follow rules so that everybody will know some

rules cannot be broken. They
will discipline themselves, and the king’s work shall be

easier. There will be peace in
the world, and the weak birds shall be safe from the

rogue birds.”

Akash thought
for some time, and nodded. King Eagle was happy that his son would soon be
ready to take up his life’s work.

“And Dad….”

“Yes my son…”

“Will that make you happy?”

“Very much. I can leave with
satisfaction that I have a worthy son.”

“Why? Did you have any doubts
about that?”

“Not really. But you have to
prove that.”

“Why do you need me prove what
you already know?”

“Not to me, but to your subjects
who need to be confident about your ability.”

“How can I do so?”

“By training hard. You have to
train your mind to understand when God Vayu speaks

from your heart. Then train
your body to do what God Vayu tells your mind.”

Akash thought
for a long while, then said,

“Dad, it is very hard to
understand.”

King Eagle
suddenly opened out his wings and flew away like an arrow. Before Akash could
take the surprise move, King Eagle caught up with a hawk who was after a baby
dove. When the hawk found King Eagle coming towards him, he changed his
direction and flew away. King Eagle returned to his home tree, and sat by his
son.

“Dad, how could you see the
hawk and the dove at such a distance?”

“O that is nothing. I can see
beyond that mountain peak. You must be able to see far

ifyou must protect the weak and
the helpless. And you must learn to do it fast. You

can’t say, let it be, anyway I am not
affected. When you do God Vayu’s work, you

must not think of yourself.”

“Dad, but doves are food of
hawks. You prevented the hawk from getting its food.

Was that right ?”

King Eagle
was glad his son had started thinking about right and wrong.

“Doves are one of the most
beautiful birds created by God Vayu. And they cannot

defend themselves against
hawks. If allowed, hawks can destroy all the doves

in thesky. I cannot allow complete
destruction of such a beautiful race. So I

protected it.”

“I understand. You have to
see far, decide what is right and wrong, stand up for the

weak and helpless, outfly
the rogue bird… dad, did the God Vayu ask you do this?’

“When you purify your mind by
long practice, God Vayu’s thoughts would flash in

your mind.”

“How long one has to
practise?”

“Depends on how strong is
your desire to learn.”

“When are you starting my
training dad?”

“From tomorrow. Tomorrow is
your third birthday. It is time to start.”

“Dad, what are you going to teach
me?”

“You will first learn to overcome space and
time.”

“O, dad, why can’t you speak in a language
your son can understand?”

“Nothing is difficult for my
son. You have to learn flying in high speed. Low speed,

sideways flying, arrow
flying etc. That is overcoming space. You have to eat well,

and get strong for this
practice.”

“And overcoming time?”

“When you decide to do a
good thing, do it immediately. Don’t tell yourself,

tomorrow I will do it, or
day after, or let me think more about it, or why should I

do it
first?Let others start, and then I will
follow. There is no wisdom in inviting

risk,
or some such thing. You will gradually learn all about it.”

“And then?”

“And then your training
would come to a very exciting final stage.”

“What is that dad?”

“You will learn to make friends
with the sky.”

“Make friends with the sky?
How does one do that?”

“This is the most
rewarding, and most practical part of your training. You will go to the Eagle Peak, where generations of eagles
go for their final training, and live there alone with the sky all around you until
you see the face of God Vayu in the sky, see Him everywhere, outside and inside
of yourself. It is like a fish living in water completely surrounded by it. You
will gradually be lost in that glorious experience of God Vayu surrounding you
on all sides.”

“Is it a scaring
experience?”

“No it is a very delightful
experience.”

“But is it necessary, for example, to rule
a kingdom?”

“Very much. After that you will be able
to love everything more and more, the birds on sky, as well as trees around you
on earth. That will teach you compassion, and sacrifice. Without compassion,
and sacrifice you cannot be a king. After you experience that on the Eagle
Peak, come back, I will crown you king, and retire.”

King Eagle
had been waiting for his son for months. He had gone away for his last stage of
training months ago, and the light from the eyes of the old king was fading
away. He could not leave without declaring him king, for that was the order of
God Vayu, nor could he carry the burden of a long life any further. His soul
was crying out for release from the cage, to be one with the sky, and God Vayu.
But Akash hadn’t yet completed his training. The queen had left him, the world
around was changing very fast. Birds didn’t seem to have as much faith in his
words as he had seen when his father was the king. But he had faith in his son.
Akash had been an intelligent boy, a hardworking, and stubborn boy. Besides, he
kept him under personal supervision, and loved him both as a father and mother
when the queen left them a few weeks after Akash was born.

“Dad”.

King Eagle
woke up from a daydream. That familiar modulation, a little gruffy
notwithstanding. A voice you can tell embodied power, confidence and affection,
even without opening your eyes. There was only one person who could call him
dad. And King Eagle was wafted back years when he had stood by his ailing
father after returning from the Eagle Peak. King Eagle had lost count of time.
It was as if he was expanding through the corridors of time bursting at all
seams, spreading all over the earth and sky, merging in all that ever was, and
shall be. He saw himself sitting in front of his son, or himself? He didn’t
have to open his eyes though.

“Dad, I have
completed my training. You were correct. You were always correct. Now I can
experience God Vayu all around me. I know He is all this, and in all this. The
experience of this oneness fills me with love for everything, the birds, beasts
as well as the trees, the hills, and the rivers. Dad, thank you for your
patient training. Now I understand what it means to be a king, unless he
experiences himself in smallest of his subjects he cannot be bigger than them.”

King Eagle
opened his eyes, smiled at the new king, and allowed his soul to leave the
cage.